Bulby’s Wood improvements are a genuine improvement!

In April 2015 I reported on the improvements to facilities at Bulby’s Wood [55°26’28” N 1°59’20” W]. These included:

• refurbishment of the existing toilet block
• creation of a tourist information point and display area in existing building
• some external landscaping works

Well, I can now report that the work has progressed well. In fact, the new toilets are now open. The temporary toilets have, consequently been removed.

Approaching new facilities building from car park

New facilities at Bulby’s Wood

The contractors have done an excellent job of creating a modern-looking facilities building that blends well into the environment. There are ladies’ and gents’ toilets, as well as toilet facilities for people with disabilities together with a ramp for wheelchair access. The volunteer/ranger office can be seen in the photos above to the right-hand side of the building with the blue coloured window/door frames. The work has been carried out to a high standard:

Washing facilities

Electric heating

And, as you would expect within an International Dark Sky Park, the outside lighting is well shielded and designed such that the light shines down rather than spilling upwards.

Dark sky friendly lighting

There’s still a bit of tidying work to be carried out, such as the landscaping in front of the new facilities building. When I visited today, whilst most of the builders’ equipment had been removed, there was a JCB, tarmac layer and roller parked in the car park. I suspect this might mean, therefore, that the car park itself may be resurfaced. I’ll wait to see.

All-in-all, the Bulby’s Wood improvements are an excellent new addition to the area and will greatly improve the experience of anyone visiting this wonderful part of north Northumberland.